Balancing arrangements by the use of counterweights are known as such in the prior art. Various arrangements have been proposed heretofore which rely on fastening counterweights in the position or positions as determined on a balancing machine rotating the part to be balanced. These machines are known as such, for example, in connection with balancing the wheels of automobiles where counterweights are attached in predetermined positions on the rim of the wheel.
With the advent of hollow drive shafts for motor vehicles made from light-weight metal, such as aluminum or aluminum alloys which have to be balanced, the method of balancing such drive shafts, as used heretofore in the automotive industry, consisted of welding counterweights of predetermined size and weight in predetermined positions. These hollow drive shafts, contrary to prior art solid drive shafts, involved a hollow aluminum construction of larger diametric dimensions than the prior art solid drive shafts used heretofore in the automotive industry for many years. Because aluminum drive shafts as used presently in the automotive industry have a wall thickness of about 2.2 mm., the counterweights had to be welded to the outer surface of the corresponding cylindrical end piece of the universal joint which itself is made of a wall thickness of about 5 mm. The drawbacks of these prior art drive shafts and balancing arrangements are due to the fact that the welding operations not only require longer cylindrical end pieces of the universal joint to accommodate the largest counterweights and their welded connections but additionally are both time-consuming and relatively costly, not to mention problems always inherent with welded connections of this type.
In my aforementioned copending application Ser. No. 07/446,812, the balancing arrangement which effectively resolved the pre-existing problems, utilized a counterweight of selected predetermined size and weight affixed to the external surface of the rotating member by the use of a clamping band made from a material such as stainless steel, devoid of any significant elastic stretchability in the longitudinal direction to which elastic stretchability in the longitudinal direction was imparted by a special configuration of one or more sections in the clamping band. According to another feature of my aforementioned copending application, appropriate anchoring means were provided at the counterweight and/or the clamping band. In my aforementioned copending application, the counterweights were provided with outwardly protruding cold-deformed hook-like members defining therebetween a channel receiving the clamping band so as to prevent lateral movements between the clamping band and the counterweight.